Hood or deck lid hinge



July 2, 1957 T. vlGMosTAD 2,797,434

' HooD 0R DECK LID HINGE Filed DSO. 23, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @www July2, 1957 T. vlGMos-rAn 42,797,434

HOOD 0R DECK LID HINGE Filed Dec. 23, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.@gx/c? /zrg/rzaszfdd flew@ P Y Y Patented HOOD OR DECK LID HINGE TrygveVigmostad, Detroit, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to ChryslerCorporation, a corporation of Delaware Application December 23, 1953,Serial No. 399,932

4 Claims. (Cl. 16184) This invention relates to hinge structures forswinging lids or closures and in particular to a hinge structure that isespecially useful for the hood or deck lid of an automobile body andwhich embodies spring means effective to raise or assist in raising thehood or deck lid and counterbalance the weight thereof.

An object of the invention is to providel a hinge structure for aswinging lid or closure, such as an automobile hood or deck lid, havingswinging hinge arms means attached to the lid and torsional spring meansacting on the hinge arm means to exert a lifting force effective toraise or assist in raising the lid to open position.

In accordance with the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated byway of example, a pair of pivotally mounted hinge arms are attached tothe lid or closure adjacent opposite sides thereof. Each of a pair oftransversely extending torsion bars or blades is connected at one end toone of each of the hinge arms to swing the same and is secured againstrotation at its other end to a fixed bracket or body member. Thus ateach side of the lid or closure a rotatable end of one of the torsionbars or blades is attached to the hinge arm at that side and a fixed endof the other torsion bar or blade is attached to a part of the body. Thepair of spring torsion members comprising the rods or blades areinitially twisted to a predetermined angular degree so as to exert arotative effort on the hinge arms, which is translated into a liftingforce on the lid tending to raise the latter from its closed position.Hence, when the lid is unlatched, the torsional spring means actingthrough the hinge arms will swing or assist in swinging the lid upwardlyto the open position.

It will be apparent that the torsional spring means provides a simple,eflicient and economical lifting or counterbalancing means for a hood ordeck lid. Moreover, by utilizing the torsion members comprising rods orblades of spring material extending transversely of the vehicle body atthe region of the hinge arms, a very compact and economical constructionis provided. It will also be seen that by virtue of this construction,equivalent lifting forces will be applied to opposite sides of the lidyand the Alatter will be raised smoothly and evenly.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following descriptionand appended claims, reference being had to the Aaccompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view showing an automobile hoodhingedly mounted on the vehicle body by means of a pair of transverselyspaced goose-neck hinges and counterbalanced by torsion blades embodyingthe present invention, as viewed from the front and below the hood.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged section taken substantially in thedirection of the arrows along the line 2--2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken in the direction of the arrowssubstantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken in the direction of the arrowssubstantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, the hood being shown in openposition in phantom.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken in the direction l of the arrowssubstantially along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of construction and arrangement ofpartsillustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is'capableof other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in variousways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyemployed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In the drawings, the hinge structure embodying the present invention isillustrated in association with the vertically swinging front hood orclosure 10 of an automobile body 11. It will bey understood that this isbut illustrative of one use of the invention, since the same can beapplied equally well for example to the deck or rear compartment lid ofan automobile body. The cowl panel 10a of the body is crownedtransversely and terminates at its forward edge in a transverse troughor gutter 12 underlying the rear edge of the hood. Beneath the cowl 10ais a rigid transverse body frame member 13. Suitably secured to theunder side of the hood at opposite lateral sides thereof are a pair ofdepending brackets 14.

The hinge means supporting the hood 10 for vertical swinging movementcomprises a pair of similar gooseneck hinge members 15 mounted beneaththe cowl at opposite lateral sides thereof. The hinge member 15 at eachside is provided with a forwardly extending arm portion 15a underlyingthe bracket 14 at the same side and rigidly secured thereto and to areinforcing plate 16 overlying the bottom of the bracket 14 by meansv ofa plurality of bolts 17. The goose-neck portion of each hinge memberprovides clearance with respect to the trough 12 when the hood is swungupwardly to its open position as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 4, andterminates upwardly in an integral hub 18 pivotally mounted on asuitable support. The support for each hub 18 comprises a channelbracket 19 secured to the frame portion 13 by a plurality of bolts 20and having a vlateral forwardly extending vertical flange or plate 19a.Each support also includes an angle bracket 21 suitably secured to thebase of the bracket 19 by the bolts 20 and provided with a forwardlyprojecting flange or plate 21a spaced inwardly from the plate 19a andparallel thereto. The inner portion of the channel bracket 19 at theright side in Fig. 2 comprises a short forwardly extending ange or plate19b adjacent and parallel to the plates 19a and 21a and spaced inwardlyfrom the latter. At the left in Fig. 2, the inner portion of the channelbracket'19 extends forwardly in a flange or plate 19e spaced inwardlyfrom the adjacent plate 21a, theplate 19e being somewhat longer than theplate 19b and parallel thereto.

The body of each hub lvspa'ces the juxtaposed plates 19a and 21a at eachside of thehood and is provided with oppositely directed coaxialcylindrical extensions 18a 4and 18h of reduced diameter journaled in theplates 19a and 21a respectively. The extensions 1817 at opposite sidesof the hood extend coaxially inward toward each other, each beingprovided with an axial inwardly opening diametrical slot 18C, Fig. 3.

The spring means acting on the hinge members 15 comprises a pair oftransversely extending torsion rods or blades 22 of uniform rectangularsection, Figs. 3 and 4, each having one end splined within the slotl8r.` of one of each of the extensions 18b. In the present instance, one

of the blades 22 is a forward blade having a pivotal end secured withinthe slot 18:. at the right in Fig. 2 and passing forwardly of the shortplate 19b, Fig. 2. The opposite end of the forward blade 22 is securedat the left in Fig. 2 within a slot 23 located in the plate 19Cforwardly of the other or rearward blade 22. The latter has a pivotalend secured within the slot 18C at the left in Fig. `2 and extendsfreely through a circular opening 24 in the plate 19C. The opposite endof the rearward blade 22 is secured at the right within a slot 25located in the plate 19b rearwardly of the forward blade 22. Thus ateach side of the hood, one torsion blade 22 is splined within the slot18e at that side to swing the corresponding hinge arm 15, the othertorsion `blade 22 being splined within a fixed part of the body at thatside and being thereby held against pivotal movement with respect to thebody.

In order to hold the blades 22 within their respective slots 18C and toprevent the latter from enlarging in consequence vof the resilientforces described below, an

annular collar member 26 is sleeved over each projection 18b and iskeyed thereto by a pin 27, Fig. 7, which extends diametrically throughthe collar 26 perpendicular to the broad surface of the blade 22, Fig.3. Movement limiting means comprising in the present instance a pair ofswinging levers 28 pivoted at 29 to the plates 19a respectivelyterminatein inbent portions having gliders or rollers 30 thereon whichoverlie the hinge arms 1S at opposite sides of the hood and limit upwardpivoting thereof,4 phantom view, Fig. 4.

When the hood is closed, the torsion blades 22 are under resilienttension yieldingly urging the hood upward toward its raised position.Thus in Figs. 1 and 2 wherein the hood is shown in the closed position,the foremost blade 22 is stressed clockwise looking from left to rightand the rearmost blade 22 is stressed counterclockwise looking fromright to left, thereby counterbalancing the weight of the hood andtending to swing the hinge members 15 upward when the hood is unlatched.The magnitude of the torsional force applied to the hood is preferablypredetermined so as to cause the torsion blades to counterbalauce theweight of the hood and to hold the same at its open position, phantomview, Fig. 4.

I claim:

1. In a hinge structure for a vertically swinging lid or closure of avehicle body, a pair of coaxial transversely spaced hinge members forhingedly mounting said lid on the body, a pair of torsional springblades extending transversely between said hinge members, each having apivotal end connected coaxially to one of each of said hinge members toturn therewith and having a fixed end connected to a fixed portion ofsaid body, said blades being of rectangular cross section and the fixedends thereof being otset from the axis of said hinge members on oppositesides of said axis, the broad sides of said blades at said fixed endsbeing parallel to each other, and said blades being initiallytorsionally detlected angularly to exert a turning effort on said hingemembers yieldingly urging the lid upwardly from its closed positiontoward its open position.

2. In a vehicle body having a vertically swinging lid or closure, a pairof transversely spaced hinge members pivoted on said body to swing abouta common transverse axis, each of said hinge members being attached tothe lid or closure to provide for vertically swinging 4 movementthereof, a pair of transversely extending torsion blades of rectangularcross section, each blade having a pivotal end secured coaxially withsaid axis to one of each of said hinge members and having a fixed endsecured to a ixed portion of the body adjacent the other hinge member,the fixed ends of said blades being offset from said axis at oppositesides thereof and their broad sides at the fixed ends thereof beingparallel to each other, said blades being initially torsionally deectedto exert turning effort on said hinge members tending to swing the lidupwardly toward open position.

3. In a vehicle body having a vertically swinging closure, a pair oftransversely spaced hinge members for hingedly mounting said closure onsaid body, each hinge member having an axially extending hub portioncoaxial with the hinge axis of the closure, a pair of torsion blades,each blade having a pivotal end splined within an axial slot in the hubportion of one of each of said hinge members to turn therewith andextending transversely toward the other hinge member to a fixed end,said blades being initially torsionally deflected to exert turningeffort on said hinge members tending to swing the closure upwardlytoward open position, and a pair of fixed brackets secured to said bodyat one side of said blades, one of said brackets having a recesstherein, one of said blades extending through said recess, the fixed endof the other blade being splined in said one bracket at the side of saidone blade opposite said one side, the other bracket terminating short ofsaid other blade at said one side and having the fixed end of said oneblade splined therein at said one side of said other blade.

4. In a vehicle body having a vertically swinging lid or closure, a pairof transversely spaced supports iixed to the body, a pair oftransversely spaced hinge members having coaxial hub portions pivotallymounted on said supports to swing about a common transverse axis, eachof said hinge members being attached to the lid or closure to providefor vertically swinging movement thereof, torsional spring meanscomprising a pair of torsion blades of rectangular cross section, eachblade having a pivotal end splined within an axial slot in the hubportion of one of each of said hinge members to turn therewith andhaving a fixed end splined within a portion of the support for the otherhinge member to be held against turning, said blades being initiallytorsionally deflected to exert turning eifort on said hinge membersyieldingly urging the closure upward toward open position, the broadsides of the tixed ends of said blades being at opposite sides of saidaxis and parallel to each other at the fixed ends thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,724,836 Heinrich Aug. 13, 1929 1,741,587 Schau Dec. 31, 1929 2,395,456Bunker Feb. 26, 1946 2,537,247 Tillman I an. 9, 1951 2,567,287 IngramSept. 11, 1951 2,584,904 Monger Feb. 5, 1952 2,602,957 Anderson July 15,1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 385,812 Great Britain Jan. 5, 1933 513,556 GreatBritain Oct. 16, 1939 ...HNL- "l

